Jorge Luis Toledo, left, and Oscar Olascoaga.
Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives were receiving “a large influx of calls” about stolen catalytic converters. They were also detecting multiple Facebook Marketplace postings by two men announcing: “all catalytic converters get paid cash in hand same day pickup.”
No wonder: catalytic converters can be more valuable contraband than drugs–easier to acquire, easier to sell, and less punishable if caught. There are no aggravating factors that could turn a second degree felony into a first degree felony if the seller is transacting, say, within 1,000 feet of a school or a park. The transactions can just as easily take place